Frequency
by MagicMysticFantasy
Summary: Sequel to Radio Waves. There's something wrong with Alex. Jonas doesn't know much else, but that is something he does know. He also knows that several of his memories seem to be a little ... off, and that there is more to what happened on the island than just what he remembers. He knows because he sees it in Alex's eyes when they talk on the ferry back to the mainland.


There's something wrong with Alex.

Jonas doesn't know much else, but that is something he does know. He also knows that several of his memories seem to be a little . . . off, and that there is more to what happened on the island than just what he remembers. He knows because he sees it in Alex's eyes when they talk on the ferry back to the mainland, and he even thinks that he saw some of it in her gaze all the way back when this nightmare of a night began.

But, above all, he just _knows_ that there is something wrong with her.

It's not possession, he knows that much. He's seen too much of it tonight and experienced too much of it to think that she's been possessed. Another option would be an injury, but if something happened, not only would there be more signs, but he gets the feeling that Alex would at least mention it even if she was playing it down. It's just the kind of person she is, the kind that tells people uncomfortable truths because they don't like lying. He's learned that much tonight about her, if nothing else.

So it's not an injury and it's definitely not possession causing her to suddenly check out on them, her eyes staring out into the distance as if seeing something they can't. They aren't the cause of Alex suddenly stiffening, as if she's remembering something from long ago, something important, with a certain feel that makes Jonas suspect that those memories are a lot closer than they seem. They aren't the cause of the tired, sad, _lonely_ , knowing look in her eyes as he tells her things he hasn't told anyone, the look that somehow makes him think that she already knows him inside and out despite only having met him today.

She only half-heartedly reciprocates, and Jonas would be upset at the apparent lack of effort and trust after he's laid parts of himself bare in an effort to bond were it not for the way she goes about it. She acts as if he doesn't or won't care about what she has to say, as if he doesn't care about the brother that was such a big part of her life and helped develop her personality, as if he doesn't care about the ticks that make up her side of the family, her history, or her interests. The oddest thing is that Jonas gets a niggling feeling for some reason that she just expects him to forget, so why bother in the first place?

He sees her stand up and walk up to the front of the ferry, staring at the mainland as if she had been gone from home for years and had wanted nothing more than to return the entire time she was away. She looks like she is memorizing its features, like she'll never see them again and she wants to take as much in as she can while she's here. They drift up to the dock, the walkway lowers, and everyone but her gets off.

The others talk to her, but Jonas pays them no mind, instead focused on the expression on his step-sister's face. She looks almost resigned at the thought of getting off the boat, and something about that particular look strikes a chord in his memory.

 _We're stuck in a time loop._

 _Do you remember anything?_

 _Ugh, not again._

The thought makes Jonas go still, everything in him freezing at the idea that _maybe they didn't get out_. Alex has been the most consistent one to remember these time loops out of everyone. She's seen more of them than the rest of the group combined, and has remembered what happened in them better. The look on her face back then is the same as it is now, and _what if she's still stuck_?

That would explain her strange behavior, and it would explain why the look in her eyes says _what's the point?_ whenever he tries to prompt her into telling him more about herself. It would explain why she looks like she expects him to forget the details about her and Michael and everything else that he's been craving to learn and remember ever since this morning.

It's because _she's still stuck_.

Does that mean that they are too? The look in her eyes seems to suggest so, especially since he thinks he now knows the context of the looks she's been giving everyone. Her expression looks lost, sad, and maybe even a little bit angry sometimes. Most of all, though, throughout the night he's been noticing that she just looks _tired_. Like . . . she's giving up.

Just how long has this loop been lasting? How many days has she lived through? When was the last time she even slept? What if she _never gets out again_?

The thought nearly sends him into a panic, and he has to fight the urge to rush to her and never let go of her once he gets a hold on her. He can practically feeling her slip through all of their collective fingers again, and the thought terrifies him. They should be _done_ , they _did it_ , they should be _safe_. He sees her reach the bottom of the ramp, and something – maybe her, maybe instinct, maybe even memory – makes him call out as she starts to step onto the pier.

"Alex, wait!"

Her foot comes down as her eyes meet his, and he suddenly knows that she knows that he is aware of what is about to happen. Her smile is sad as something in the air around them glitches, something that he can't quite comprehend. His vision starts fading, but before it goes completely, he sees Alex mouth something to him.

He can't quite tell if the words she said were _I'm sorry_ or _See you soon_ , but somehow it doesn't matter. He knows both are true, and he only wishes that he could remember enough this time around to say them back.


End file.
